My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped
by Jane Glass
Summary: Albedo had made a deal with them to get the Ultimatrix from Ben, but was he going to follow through with his plan? Rated T for violence/violence reference. R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Oddity

**My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped **

Chapter 1: The oddity of talking to your enemy's mother

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, just the story idea and I might make up stuff about them; good times.**

**A.N.: This takes place sometime after "Double or nothing" and will most likely change everything after that. **

**Rated: T (violence and violence reference)**

**Please read and review! **

**Enjoy!**

In a dark room lit only by moonlight, a young teenager lay in bed, covered up everywhere, save his face, which was a light cream color, his brown hair as untidy as it was when he was awake. It was quiet in the small room filled with Sumo Slammers posters, action figures and the like, and it made the outside seem loud. Insects chirped noisy, traffic never stopped, some birds still sang despite the time, and other noises among those listed. But this man had a mission, and he didn't intend to fail. He pulled out something that looked like a laser gun out of the backpack which he didn't normally carry and put it against the window edge and pressed a button.

A small blue light appeared at the edge of the device and cut a hole into the window, he slowly lowered it, cutting the window in a straight line. Once he reached the bottom left of the window he began taking it to the right. He looked up when he heard talking but didn't stop. About three or four men were walking on the sidewalk on this side of the road, but he was hidden within the bushes on the side of the house, so he'd probably be fine. "That's what I told him, he doesn't listen…" He heard one say. "Well, he should. Ben Tennyson can't be trusted…I don't care what everyone else says." The taller one says. "Well, don't worry, in a week Ben Tennyson will no longer be a problem." A female among them says.

They continue chatting and are soon out of hearing range. He'd finished cutting from left to right across the bottom and begin cutting upward to the top right corner as he thought about the conversation he'd heard. So someone was planning on getting rid of Ben? Interesting…but that wouldn't help him; he just needed the Ultimatrix back. At this point he didn't care if he didn't get revenge...and besides, Tennyson would get his just deserts in good time.

He finished cutting the window by taking it right to left across the top, but the window stayed in place as planned. He put the gun like device back in his backpack and took out another tool. This one seemed like a cannon which you wear on your arm, except its purpose was a lot quieter. He put it up against the glass and then there was a blinking red light from one of the buttons, he then pulled it back slowly, taking the square glass which he had cut from the window frame out; he then laid the glass on the ground before pressing the button which was still blinking red, it then turned green and this time when he lifted his arm which the tool was attached to the window didn't follow, so he took it off his arm and put it back in his backpack.

Just as he was about to climb carefully through the small opening he'd just created, there was a beeping sound in his ear; he pressed the only button on the earpiece. "Um…Albedo, t—there's a small p—problem…" He heard Hugh say in a hushed voice through the phone. "What sort of problem?" He asks quietly, looking around him. "Well…I…uh…tripped and fell…and…I think Ben's mother is awake now?" Hugh says, quickly but quietly. "You had better be joking, Hugh." Albedo says, sounding stern. "I…sorry…? She might just be getting water?" Hugh says like a beat down child who didn't want to get hurt.

"No, it was clearly you she heard, but she seems to have gone back to her bed." Fridge says. "Hmm, well, nothing interesting on this side, boss." Swamp says. "Good to see not all of my partners are so incompetent." Albedo says, glaring as he leaned on the outside of the house. "I'm not in—competent." Hugh says, causing both Fridge and Swamp to chuckle. "Quiet, all of you; I need to hurry up and get this done, any longer and Ben's mother might start feeling as though something's going on." Albedo says, silencing them.

"Why don't we just come back tomorrow night then?" Hugh asks. "Too dangerous, she might have told Ben by then." Albedo answers. "I doubt it, I mean, what kind of mother walks up to her son and says 'I heard something last night'?" Fridge asks, and he sounded like he doubted it too. "Um, the mother whose son can turn into all kinds of aliens…" Swamp answers half mocking, half serious. "That's a chance I'd rather not take, and as a result you will all be quiet and pay attention to your surroundings." Albedo says before switching it off.

Ben turned in his sleep, mumbling something. Albedo stood there for a moment, did Ben hear him? Was he awake and waiting for the right moment to attack? No, he wasn't that smart…or so Albedo hoped. He slowly went through the window legs-first, then turned and walked over to the bed…or was about to walk over to the bed, then he kicked something…which hit the wall with a thud. _That must have been a bowling ball…good thing that I'm not barefoot._ He thought, wondering if Ben had it there on purpose. Ben mumbled something about Humungousaur and Mr. Smoothies before turning in his sleep again.

"Ben, are you awake?" Albedo heard a kind and quiet voice ask…perfect. If he didn't answer, then she might get suspicious…or keep asking until she woke him up…or open the door herself…either way, it wouldn't end well. Albedo reluctantly walks over to the door; it looks like his mission would be delayed a bit longer. He slowly opened the door a bit, but not all the way. Hopefully it was too dark to tell the difference about his hair and eye color. "What was that noise?" She asks, sounding tired, and she wasn't looking up either. He had to make sure he sounded like Ben, though, which wouldn't be too hard, since he had acted as Ben a while ago.

"I just got some water and then I tripped over something." He says quietly, doing his best sleepy Ben impression; his fans would be proud. "Maybe that was what I heard." Ben's mother says, looking at him now, he quickly looked down, acting like he was wiping his "tired" eyes. "Did you hear that sound earlier? It sounded like something large fell." She says after a moment. "Was it an alien?" He asks, still looking down. "I…don't know…. Are you alright? Your eyes look a bit red." She asks after a moment of silent. "Maybe…it's the light." He says between a yawn…and not a fake one either, which, for whatever reason, made him feel embarrassed. Maybe it's the idea of his enemy's mother seeing him weak.

"Or maybe you're too tired." She says, looking at him sympathetically. Sympathy for Ben, he reminded himself. He just shrugged, not knowing how to answer, and he figured if Ben was tired then this looked okay. "You really shouldn't stay out like you do, I know you enjoy hanging out with Gwen and Kevin, but you need sleep." She says, lecturing him. And though he didn't want to say the next things he says, it did sound like something Ben would say. "I don't just hang out with my friends…I have to protect people and fight aliens too, you know." He says, remembering to hide his accent. "I know, Ben, but…I worry." She says quietly.

"I'd rather you didn't." Albedo says in return, he was probably either doing perfect or making Ben seem too sweet, either way she probably didn't care. "How can I not? Most kids and teenagers never fight in their entire lives, much less save anyone, but you are always out risking your lives for others and fighting off monsters. It shouldn't be your responsibility, but it is, and you carry the burden well." She says, smiling quietly at him. Albedo began wondering if she knew he wasn't Ben and was doing this to make him feel guilty. It seemed to be fairly affective. "I…thank you…mom. I'd love to stay up listening to you compliment me, but…"

"I understand, go to sleep, sweetie." She says, patting him on his shoulder. He slowly nodded and shut the door…that was odd. And did she not think it strange that he was still fully dressed? Did Ben often go to sleep like that? Did he seriously just call her 'mom'? What would she think when she finds out that Ben's missing? Would she finely understand who it really was she had talked to or didn't she know about Albedo? So many questions and no answers; he didn't know her, he just knew that she seemed sweet, there was no telling how angry she'd be at him if she did find out that he kidnapped Ben.

But he needed the Ultimatrix, didn't he? So the question that came to mind when he glanced at Ben was: how much do I need the Ultimatrix?

**I hope you have all enjoyed this immensely! Your reviews (whether you're saying "Great story!" or "You misspelled that.") are greatly respected and appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2: Hugh, the giant aggravation

**My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped **

Chapter 2: Hugh, the giant aggravation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.**

**A.N.: Okay, so if I have any pairings in this, then it'll be these: Ben & Julie—Gwen & Kevin—Albedo & Charm-caster. I might add others later. **

**Rated: T (violence and violence reference)**

**Please read and review!**

**Enjoy!**

How much do I need the Ultimatrix? "A lot, if I want to get out of this human body." He answered himself quietly. He walked over to where Ben lay motionless in bed, then lifted Ben and managed to move him to the floor. Of course, since Ben was as heavy as he was. But now what? Hmm, maybe he could…. He switched on his communicator, a plan forming in his mind. "Uh…is it a…monkey?" Fridge asks. "No." Hugh answers. "Is it a dog?" Swamp asks. "No, not even close." Hugh answers. They were playing a game? Was this a joke? Albedo wasn't laughing. "You guys aren't being quiet?" He asks angrily. "No, nowhere close—Albedo!" Hugh squeaks, apparently only now realizing who had been speaking. "We…uh…it was Hugh's idea." Fridge says, followed by Swamp saying, "They made me!"

"All of you shut up! I may have a use for you yet, if you obey and don't mess up." Albedo says, and the silence which followed was lovely, like spring breeze, he supposed. "Fridge, go start up the ship; Hugh, Swamp, I need you both at Ben's window. Make sure he doesn't trip, Swamp." Albedo says after a moment. "We'll do that." Fridge says, and then Hugh says, "O-of course!" And then Swamp spoke, "Yeah, consider it done." Albedo switched off the communicator then, glancing back to Ben who was murmuring something in his sleep. Albedo walked over to the window and leaned up against the wall near it. He noticed that Ben was still wearing his black shirt and green coat with the 10 on it, along with his blue jeans and white and black shoes. Maybe Ben's mother was right, Ben didn't get enough sleep.

"Huh?" Ben asks suddenly, looking around. He must have realized that he was on the floor and woke up. Albedo hopped out the window and could tell that Ben was close behind, so he ran to his ship, stopping just outside it. "What were you doing at my home, Albedo? You didn't hurt my family, did you?" Ben asks angrily, glaring at Albedo. "What good would that do? I have no reason to hurt your family." Albedo says, hoping to stall him. "Then what do you want?" Ben asks, still glaring. Albedo didn't want to say "The Ultimatrix" because Ben would probably attack then, but if he stayed quiet too long then Ben might suspect something. "Um…I wanted an autograph." Albedo asks, feeling stupid. "That's it? Why couldn't you ask?" Ben asks now.

Albedo was shocked beyond belief by Ben's stupidity. Was this a trap? No, Ben wasn't smart enough…. "I…wanted a free autograph." Albedo says after a moment, deciding to play along with the dumb game. He could imagine the silly music that would be going on in the back ground if this were a cartoon. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not giving out free autographs—wait what? I thought all autographs were free…." Ben says, looking not only tired but confused as well. "You didn't know you could profit from signing your name on something?" Albedo asks, crossing his arms in his best act of seeming surprised. "Wow…" Ben says, yawning after a moment.

Hugh and Swamp should be here soon, Albedo thought, thinking that Ben might realize the newly planned ambush. "Well…I'll consider that…pay enough…um…I don't have a pen or…paper…." Ben says tiredly before falling down. "Ben? Um...I don't suppose this is a trick." Albedo says, slowly walking over to where Ben had collapsed. "We're here!" Hugh says, walking over. Just in time for Albedo not to need his help, huh? Well, look at who's being helpful. "What took you so long? I thought I'd be here a decade before you returned!" Albedo yells at him angrily. "We—uh…I couldn't go around the other way because of the flowers…" Hugh says, raising his hands as if to protect himself. And protect himself he should.

"Shut up and get on the ship! Swamp, get Ben into the 3ed cage!" Albedo yells, not caring who might hear at this point. They were worse than Ben…and that was a scary thought; though still a realistic one.

**I know, Ben seems stupid so far, but with how much sleep the boy doesn't get, I expect him to faint (instead of acting extremely energetic like he does). Anyway, I hope you all liked this, sorry if it's shorter. I'll try to update soon!**

**Please R&R! **


	3. Chapter 3:Crash-landing

**My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped **

**Chapter 3: Crash-landing **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.**

**A.N.: Alright, another chapter.**

**Rated: T (violence and violence reference)**

**Enjoy!**

**Ben P.O.V.**

'Well, not the finest way to wake up' I thought, sitting up, imagining that I hit the floor of my bedroom, since I was so use to doing so. I mean, who expects to look around to see that they are in a cage, right? Yeah, not what I expected either. I was about to ask something along the lines of 'How did I get here?', but then noticed Albedo's friend, Fridge, and stayed quiet, knowing I would find out more if I did….

"It's not that he isn't a friend, Albedo's a good friend…" I heard what sounded like Hugh say through the communicator connected to Fridge's ear. "You're upset because he yelled at you; we know." Swamp says; they were apparently having a three way conversation through their coms. "Exactly…I mean, we're his friends and friends are supposed to be nice to each other, right?" Hugh says. Fridge sighed, looking annoyed before saying, "He is a great friend, but Hugh, really, think about it; we did stop him from returning to his Galvan form."

"That is beside the point." Albedo says suddenly, making me jump slightly. 'I'm not the only one who jumped though' I thought as the ship shuddered, but the humor was put to a stop when I wondered how Albedo got a ship big enough for Hugh to fit on, but that question didn't stay on my mind long either as I lowered myself so I was laying down sideways like I'd been to begin with. "Hugh, do you want us to crash?!" I heard Fridge yell.

"All of you shut up! I'm surprised you haven't woken Ben up, how loud you are all being. You didn't give him sleeping-gas, did you?" Albedo asks, and I saw his shadow appear on the wall across from where I was laying, and though he probably couldn't see whether or not my eyes were closed, I closed them anyway.

"No, you said not to." Fridge answers and I imagine he's looking at me too, so I try to remain still, but while breathing evenly, which I think I'm failing to do…. "Is he dead?" Fridge asks after a moment. "Well, I should hope not; while that would make it easy to cut the Ultimatrix from his wrist, I would likely feel wrong, and I have already made the deal with the Forever Knights: I doubt they'll like me bringing them a dead Ben Tennyson." Albedo says, and then I hear the cage open behind me. 'Remain still…remain still…' I repeated in my head. "He looks to be breathing, just slow and shallow breaths." Albedo says after another moment.

"What is it now?" Fridge asks, not even I understand what he meant by that. "Nothing, I just noticed these bruises." Albedo answers him. Hmm, he might have been referring to the bruises on my arm which I'd gotten not long ago, I had fell on my side in human form after my Ultimatrix timed out; goodbye Jet-ray, hello headache. Well, arm-ache, anyway.

"Shouldn't you get out of there before he decides to wake up?" Fridge asks, sounding worried. Ah, if only he knew that I already decided to wake up. Well, he's about to know! But as I thought about my plan of jumping up and how I kick them and what alien I would use, I was interrupted by Albedo, "I'm sure it would be fine if he did, I'd just have to deal with him again."

"I see that look on your face, are you being sympathetic towards him?" Fridge asks, and I wondered if he were joking. "No, I just understand why Sandra worries about him…she should worry…he won't." Albedo answers, and from the shadow on the wall I think that he's standing up. "So you're being sympathetic and empathetic?" Fridge says, sounding as if he were smiling. It was silent for a moment, and then Albedo sighed and said, "Go make sure we don't run into any problems."

"Yeah, okay, I'm going." Fridge answers, and as I heard his footsteps, an idea came to mind. I waited until I heard the door shut, and then I jumped up and rushed to the door Fridge had just walked through, pressing the big, red, shiny, button that read 'LOCKDOWN', which I'd sort of noticed when I first sat up. "You just ran into a problem." I say, smiling smugly despite everything. That looked and sounded cool, Albedo had to admit that.

I mean, I don't care much about the red lights blinking everywhere, or the annoy sirens, but then again, what's an arcade without noise? And speaking of noise, I could hear pounding coming from both of the doors on either side of the room…good. "Stop pounding the doors! Ben is trapped in here!" Albedo yells after pressing something on a control panel which he wore like a watch on his right arm, similar to the Ultimatix, making the arcade sound and lights go away; I was just starting to like them too. Well, Hugh stopped banging the door, but Albedo was wrong: I was not trapped.

"Yeah, well Big Chill begs to differ!" I call out epically, about to find said alien on my Ultimatrix…then I realized there was a contraption of some sort on my arm, keeping me from pressing or turning the Ultimatrix…why didn't I notice that earlier? "Tell your alien friend to keep begging." Albedo says, crossing his arms. "Hey, that's cheating!" I say, trying to push my panic aside. "Cheating? It all depends on what game you're playing and what the rules are." Albedo states with a bored expression. I look around, trying to think of a way out of this….

"What do you even want?" I ask finally, since I didn't see anywhere else to turn. "Yes, act like you don't know! I want to be back in my Galvan form!" Albedo says angrily. "What? I thought you wanted the Ultimatrix?" I ask honestly, really not understanding this. "I do want the Ultimatix, I believe it's the only thing left that has my DNA…it might be the only way back to my true body." Albedo answers and I tilt my head to the side as the pieces of this puzzle fall into place.

"Well…it's your own fault that you wanted an Omnitrix…" I say after a moment, not knowing what else to say. "No, it's your fault for getting the Omnitrix! I might have been less angry if it were your grandfather who found it, as Azmuth intended, but instead an immature ten-year-old found it! It was bad enough that Azmuth thought a human should have it, but he learned to accept the child? With my intelligence I should have been able to comprehend his reasons, but to this day I still don't understand why he allows you to continue with the world's best weapon. At that time I thought it was that I just didn't comprehend his reasons…but I understand now that he didn't have any reasons, he still doesn't!" Albedo says, visibly angry now.

"Look at yourself! Who's the childish one, Albedo?! I, who uses the Ultimatrix to stop villains and other who threaten to destroy the earth or anywhere else for that matter? Or you, who teams up with villains to get the Omnitrix?" I ask, getting angry with how often I'm called "immature" or "naive". "I admit, I made the mistake of thinking that the Omnitrix was the only way of getting my own body back, but now-"

"No! You don't get another chance! You think this is funny don't you? Look at everyone you've endangered in your selfish quest at getting your own body back! And worse of all, it was your own fault! If you hadn't come and attacked me but instead told me what had happened, then I wouldn't be as angry as I am, and after learning what had happened from Azmuth I felt kind of bad for you, but what did you do? You turned around and did the same thing, over and over!" I yell, cutting him off from any more of his stupid excuses for attempting to take the Omnitrix.

This wasn't going anywhere, though…'I wonder if I still have my phone…' "Of course I did! What else could I have done?! Ask for you to let me have the Omnitrix when it wasn't even yours to begin with?!" Albedo yells while glaring at me with his red eyes.

"It may have not belonged to me to begin with, but I do what I can to protect people! I'm not even sure if you know what justice is." I say while managing to find my phone in my back pocket. "I know what justice is…. You know, Ben, I don't have to argue, because I'm winning." Albedo says after a moment, turning to the door to try to open it. I took this moment to turn to the phone I was holding, since I can't type behind my back. I made a simple, but serious message: S.O.S.

"What are you doing?" I heard Albedo ask, but before I could hide the phone he grabbed my arm, taking my green colored phone from me. "Uh, don't-" I begin, but he dropped my phone and stepped on it with his shoe. "That wasn't a cheap phone, you know!" I yell, wondering if they'd still see the text message or not. "Well neither was this ship! Nothing is cheap and nothing is easy, I've learned that much in this stupid journey!" Albedo says, glaring at me. "Yeah, 'stupid journey' is right." I say, crossing my arms as I lean against the room's wall.

"I'm getting tired of you." Albedo says, pressing some buttons on the control panel on his arm again. "Oh? You're getting tired of me? The feeling is mutual, in case you didn't notice. You're trying so hard to get the stupid Ultimatrix back, thinking it's my fault, but do you even want to know what I think? It's not like I wanted the Omnitrix…but I think I do a good job using it to help people, or at least I don't hear a lot of complaints. Azmuth is okay with me having it, and Gwen and Kevin seem to think I'm best with it. Mostly it's just news reporters and some people who are evil who don't like me." I say, mostly trying to stall.

"Hugh, you seemed to have managed to knock out some wires, so I won't be able to open this door until you guys repair the wires and whatever else you destroyed. Fridge, you'll drive the ship." Albedo says, seeming to purposely ignore me. "You are unlawful, you know that, right?" I ask, trying to get his attention. "I know your more mature and perhaps the best human choice for the Ultimatrix, even if I didn't think that at first, but I need the Ultimatrix to turn back to me normal form. Do you understand that?" Albedo asks, turning to look at me now.

"I can imagine, but you can't expect me sympathize with you after all you've done." I say. "I don't want your sympathy." Albedo says simply. I nod, seeing that it was a never ending battle, since even I could see both sides fairly well; the only way to deal with this is for Albedo to go to jail…or for me to allow him to see what he could do about turning himself back to normal using the Ultimatrix…as long as he'd return it.

"Uh…Albedo, you're not going to like this, but…." Fridge says through the com connected to Albedo's ear. "What is it?" Albedo asks, glancing at me angrily, but I doubt Gwen and Kevin got here that fast. "Well, Hugh said that while he was trying to fix the ship, he…accidently pressed a button or something…and we're crashing…." Fridge says. I turn to look at Albedo.

"If you take off this thing on my arm then I can stop the ship from crashing!" I say to him quickly, raising my felt arm. Albedo stays quiet, probably thinking it through, but I really don't want to crash unlike _someone_. "I have no tricks up my sleeves! How could I when I only now figured out about this?" I say, getting desperate…it's like he wants to crash! "Fine," Albedo says, taking the device off my arm, and then he puts something that looks like a bracket on right arm, whatever it was it looked kind of like the Omnitrix except smaller and skinnier. "However, if you attempt to leave now I'll activate this device, which will zap you…and if you are in air when I zap you-"

"Do we have time for this?" I ask, scanning through my aliens. "Just don't try anything." He says. I nod, and then I hit the Ultimatrix, hoping it'll let me be the alien I want. "Four Arms…heh, guess that works." I say, and then I shove at the sealed and broken door. The door wasn't any trouble, in fact, I'm kind of impressed with how strong Four Arms is sometimes. "Are we close to any planets?" I ask to Fridge, glancing at the screens in the small cockpit. "Uh…that one…but…it isn't on the charts? That's weird." Fridge answers, and while he spoke I couldn't help but notice that there weren't many planets around…that was the only one.

"Hey, where were you taking me anyway? I heard you say Forever Knights earlier." I say, turning to look at Albedo who was busy pressing buttons and looking at the different screens. "Well, I was taking you to the Castle in the Sky." Albedo answers and I was going to ask him something more, but was interrupted. "We'll have to crash land there!" Fridge says. "Okay, okay, I'm going." I say, climbing to the back and shutting the back door behind me, then I open the floor hatch and climbed out to space, shutting it behind me. I run up to the front of the ship, the planet below was getting closer at a very fast rate.

Soon the planet is only inches from the ship, then my feet hit the ground and I continue pushing the ship back with my hands until soon the ship stopped. "Scans read that you'll be able to breathe out here." Albedo says after opening a hatch on top of the ship. "Great…" I say right before the Ultimatrix timed out. "That was a fairy nice crash landing." Fridge says, also climbing onto the top of the huge ship. Well, I have a feeling that I didn't do a lot to stop it, the ship looks to be pretty tough. "Now what do we do?" Swamps says as he walks over. "An excellent question, Swamps." Albedo says. I slowly look around at the strangely colorful planet. Gwen and Kevin probably wouldn't be able to find me now, but I could wish at least. Now, though, what were I, Albedo, Fridge, Swamp and Hugh going to do?

**Don't you just think it's so cool when the good-guy and bad-guy have to work together? Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far.**


	4. Chapter 4: Dark times

**My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped **

**Chapter 4: Dark times**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.**

**A.N.: About time Gwen and Kevin appeared, right? **

**Rated: T (violence and violence reference)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Earth—**

Gwen was sitting on the small steps leading her home, smiling slightly about the fact that today was a Saturday and that she'd taken Kevin's advice to not do any of her normal studies or classes today. Nope, instead she'll spend some time to do other things. The first thing on her list was to go to the park with Kevin, which he actually didn't disagree to. She glanced down at her watch, and then sighed when she saw that it was already 9:18. He was supposed to be here at 9:00, would it really hurt him to not be late?

Suddenly she heard a beeping sound, which interrupted her thoughts; she reached into her pocket and pulled out her pink phone, and then she started searching for the reason behind the beeping she'd heard. Apparently Ben messaged her just now, which was odd, because they decided to only text one another if the other was in serious danger or if it was extremely important, which is why she had an alarm set to go off if she was messaged; Ben had the same thing set up on his phone. She went to 'Messages' and saw the new one there, it read: S.O.S.

She almost dropped the phone, but caught it by reflex. Ben wouldn't joke around like this, but he almost never needed her help so badly as to text her, usually he'd call her if he needed backup…but if he messaged this to her…then it means he cannot speak right now…. She stood up, and then heard the familiar engine of Kevin's car driving up. She looked up to see him parked on this side of the road, and then she rushed over to the passenger's side.

"Gwen? What's wrong?" Kevin asks quickly, seeing her face. Gwen silently sat down and shut the door to the passenger's side, then handed him her phone. "Do we know where he's at?" Kevin asks in a grim voice after a moment, handing the phone back. "No…take us to his house." She says, staring out at the clouds. "What? Gwen, you know he leaves his smoothies cups in here all the time." Kevin says, pointing to the back-seat area where several smoothies' cups were.

"I'll track his Mana later…I think we should go to his house first." Gwen says quietly. Kevin nodded as he started driving again, and Gwen was thankful that she lived not far from Ben as they arrived there five minutes later. She got out quickly when she saw two Plumber trucks parked on the side of the road along with three police cars. Gwen hurried into the house and stopped at the front room, where maybe three police men were, along with two Plumbers.

"Excuse me?" One police man asks, turning to look at her. "I'm Gwen Tennyson…what's going on?" She asks, looking down the hallway at where Ben's room is. "Benjamin Kirby Tennyson was reported missing this morning at 8:00." A Plumber nearby says. "Missing? What do you mean?" Kevin asks as he walks up behind Gwen. "Well, just as I say: he's missing." The Plumber says, crossing his arms.

Gwen turns and walks into the hallway, then to Ben's bedroom, where two Plumbers were apparently looking over the 'crime scene'. "Gwen, I was just about to call you." Max says, putting his phone away. Gwen saw that Sandra and Carl were also in the room. Sandra's eyes were red as she was probably crying, and Carl had a hand on her shoulder with a grim face. "What happened?" Gwen asks, hoping that someone could tell her that Ben set this up for whatever reason.

"We think Ben went missing sometime after they'd all went to bed and before 7:40. That's really all we know…." Max says, but Sandra was quick to speak up, "I knew something was wrong last night, I heard something…then I went to see if Ben was up, and he acted almost himself…I think he wasn't as silly and energetic as usual…not only that, but when I hear sounds at night he usually looks around to make sure it was all okay, but he'd made such a fine excuse, saying it was probably him when he went to get water, that I didn't even ask more on the subject…."

"Honey, it's not your fault." Carl says, attempting to comfort her. "Wait, you say Ben wasn't acting himself?" Kevin asks from the doorway. "I thought he might have been tired…but what would it all mean? Was he being mind-controlled?" Sandra asks, wiping away new tears. "Was there any color differences with his cloths or eyes or hair?" Kevin asks, sounding as if he were close to finding something very important out, but of course Sandra didn't know what was so helpful about colors differences in Ben's cloths or eyes or hair right now. Gwen's head shoots up to look at Kevin, a worried and shocked expression now plastered to her face.

"Well, I guess his eyes seemed a little red from what I could see…and his cloths…I don't know." Sandra says, shaking her head hopelessly. "I think I know what happened." Kevin says, making Sandra look up with a glint of hope in her eyes. "Are you sure?" Gwen asks, but sure knew the answer. "Yes, it has to be him." Kevin answers, frowning slightly. "What? Who is it? What are you two talking about?" Sandra asks, looking at both of them.

"Sandra, it's a long story that I'll tell you sometime, but Ben has an enemy who looks like him, except his enemy has white hair and red eyes. This enemy also likes to where black and red a lot…and he's after the Ultimatrix…his name is…Albedo." Gwen says, glancing to the square in the window. "And I think Albedo was here last night. He probably acted like Ben, was probably the noise you heard, and the reason Ben's missing; it all makes sense." Kevin says.

"Then we need to find Albedo." Sandra says, looking up, her green eyes were now fierce. "Let us do that. We'll get help if we need to." Gwen says, smiling kindly at Sandra, though she didn't usually like her. "Well, fine, but if he's not back in a week then I'm going out there to help find him." Sandra says, putting her hands on her hips. 'He might not come back, though' Kevin thought, but he decided not to say as much out loud in case Gwen reacts badly to that…or in case he reacts badly to that.

"We'll get him back." Gwen says, nodding to Sandra and Carl before turning away. "Gwen, I'll also have some my best Plumbers on this, if they find anything then they'll call you." Max says, and then Gwen turns to smile at him a bit. "Thank you." Gwen says quietly. "Hey, he's my family too…so be sure to find him." Max says. "What will you be doing, sir?" Kevin asks as Gwen walks out. "Well, with Ben gone, someone has to make sure that nothing bad happens." Max says, and then turns to answer a question that one of the plumbers was asking him. Kevin turns and heads to the front room, then outside, where Gwen was waiting, already seated on the passenger's side. Kevin climbed in on the driver's side, when a thought came to mind: What would Gwen do if Ben was…dead?

"Gwen…" Kevin begins, but stops, finding out that he's not sure what he'll say. "What is it, Kevin?" Gwen asks, staring at him with her bright green eyes. "Just don't get your hopes up…" Kevin says quietly. "We WILL find Ben. I'm not getting my hopes up." Gwen says simply. "No, I mean, even if we do find him…what if he's…" Kevin says, but is unable to finish. Just the thought of finding the teen died hurt him…he'd become friends with Ben…best friends. Gwen stayed quiet for a moment, and then when she did speak, she said, "That's why we need to hurry up."

Well, what could he say? It was true, they did need to hurry up…he didn't really want to continue the topic anyway, but he knew that if Ben did die, it might not just hurt Gwen and himself, it might also separate the two…. They might never speak to each other again. What if they stopped talking to one another? Then again, it might bring them closer, but even if that was the case, they'd probably never be close when it came to talking over Ben's death, Kevin was sure of that. They'd always be separate and distant about even the mention of Ben…they might even blame each other. Dark times were ahead, but Kevin hoped that he and Gwen and Ben would survive the dark times.

* * *

**Is it bad that I enjoyed writing this chapter? Oh, and I got an idea. You see, I started watching Omniverse (don't look at me like that, it may be too colorful and have bad animation, but I have tolerance) and I've inevitably began liking Rook Blonko, so I was thinking…maybe I'll bring him into this! I know how I would, but I'm not sure…well, you guys can say what you think in a review or PM me, I'm around FF pretty often, so I'll probably respond quickly. **

**~JG**


	5. Chapter 5: Only when they find him

**My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped **

**Chapter 5: Only when they find him**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.**

**A.N.: This chapter really sad…and I like it. Which is weird, but it's kind of like killing a character off, you know? It's not easy, but it's so sad and beautiful at the same time…I like it when I find something where a character is killed off properly. Anyway, to the story! And I hope I haven't confused you with my rambling! I'm not going to kill a character off…yet…I might…. **

**Rated: T (violence and violence reference) **

**Enjoy!**

'How could I have let this happen?' Sandra thought while sitting on the couch in the living room. It was quiet now that everyone had left, except Carl, but he was cooking, though she usually did that, but she couldn't really bring herself to cook right now. She wasn't even sure if she would eat. She sighed and her face in her hands. 'Benjamin Kirby Tennyson: Best son in the world and amazing super hero, he was taken away by a look alike and the mother was so gullible that she thought the person was her son.' She didn't want her or Ben to be remembered that way….

She stood after a moment and headed to Ben's room, where she rarely went. The room was eerily silent, usually you'd hear the sound of the TV or a video game, sometimes music, but now nothing could be heard. She glanced at the Sumo Slammers posters on the walls, then to the collection of action figures and the lot lying about. Sandra hadn't realized she'd been crying until she reached up to wipe the tears away. "Oh, Ben…" She whispers as she reached down to pick up one of his favorite green coats, and then she sat on the edge of his bed, burying her face in the coat as she cried. This morning events replayed through her mind as she sat there.

_Sandra had gotten up around thirty minutes ago, and since it was a Saturday she decided she'd let Ben sleep in late, but she still had a weird feeling…she would go and check on him before heading out to the mall. She quietly walked down the hall, then stopped outside his door, thinking about last night…but that made her want to check on him even more. She quickly but quietly opened the door, suddenly feeling scared, then almost ran into the empty room, looking around, and that was when she noticed the middle part of the window was missing. _

_At first she stood there, scared, worried…and then she screamed so loud that the neighbors later told the police men that they heard her scream from their house. And though you'd imagine that the scream would sound of that of someone who is scared, it sounded as if she were in agony…pain. Carl had come running in, probably thinking she was hurt, and the rest was so fast…so foggy and unclear, since she'd been crying into her loving husband's shoulder when the rest happened…._

How did the perfect blue sky Saturday turn into this? Sandra continued shaking and crying uncontrollably. There was an icy feeling in her heart that felt like it was there to stay. 'It's not fair!' Was her only thought, but it replayed itself so much that it was like a hundred thoughts, all screaming the same thing in agony. "It is okay, Honey, they'll find him." She heard Carl say as he sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. "No, it'll be okay only _when_ they find him." Sandra says between sobs as she hugged the green coat and buried herself in Carl's chest. They both stayed like that and it was silent other than Sandra's crying, but it died down and she cried almost silently. Loosing children is never easy, no matter what.

**The next chapter will go back to Ben and Albedo's side (along with Albedo's "actors"). **


	6. Chapter 6:Fork in the Road

**My Universe 1: Ben kidnapped **

**Chapter 6:** **Fork in the Road**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.**

**A.N.: Thank you all for your reviews so far! I'll try to continue updating very often!**

**Rated: T (violence and violence reference) **

**Enjoy!**

Ben was sitting under a tree a little ways off from Albedo's ship, and just far enough to almost be out of yelling rang. Albedo was currently trying to figure out exactly what Hugh did so he can fix it, but Hugh was being aggravating and Albedo was clearly getting annoyed. Ben, however, was wondering how far he'd get with Big Chill before Albedo pressed the button to zap him. Maybe it'd be best to stick around though…let Albedo fix the ship and hopefully someone would find Ben by then. Who was he kidding? He wasn't going to wait. Ben stood up, glancing at the zapper around his wrist.

Well, this would be worth a try. He quietly walks past the trees and further, past bushes and long grass, then, now far enough, he switches the Ultimatrix to Big Chill, and then hits the button. "I really wanted Big Chill, you know." He says somewhat angrily, now in his "Jet-Ray" form. "Oh, well." He mumbles as he takes flight. He made sure to fly just below the tree tops, so no one would see him, but this proved to be a bad idea when a creature jumped out above him and hit him, bringing Jet Ray to ground level.

"Hey, watch it!" Jet Ray yells at the creature as it tries to bite his arm with its sharp teeth. It looked similar to a tiger with strips and all, except it was standing more like a monkey…it sort of reminded Ben of Wrath, except this thing has a bushy tail and weird hair…like a lion's mane. "Okay, back off! I'm warning you!" Jet Ray yells at it, but then a loud whistle sounds, making the creature run off. Jet Ray turns to see Paradox standing nearby, then the Ultimatrix times out.

"Paradox, what are you doing here?" Ben asks, wondering what trouble the world might be about to be in…or was in this time. "Zi'rachis can be quite troublesome, no? Now, young Tennyson, I am here to warn you of a new threat. Of course you know I cannot tell you too much, but I can tell you this: You have come to a fork in the road. If you choose one path then there might be better future, but if you choose the other you might be able to eliminate one of your enemies and he might be able to eliminate you. The second path is very destructive, but because the world isn't in immediate danger, I'll let you decide. Oh, and watch your head." With that, Paradox disappeared again, leaving Ben to ponder his words.

"Ouch!" Ben yelps after a small tree branch hits his head. "I should've seen that coming." Ben mumbles, rubbing his head. "Similarly to that, you should have realized that I wouldn't allow you to escape." Albedo says, making Ben jump slightly before turning to see the red eyed look-alike standing nearby. "How'd you find me?" Ben asks, sounding bored and slightly annoyed. "When I followed you into the cock-pit earlier I stuck a tracking device on your back." Albedo says, crossing his arms.

"What?" Ben ask in disbelief before reaching his hand around his back to find something about the size of a bottle cap stuck on his shirt between his shoulder blades. He attempted to take it off, but he was having trouble enough trying to grab it in his current position. "And just how am I supposed to take that off?" Ben asks, shooting an annoyed look Albedo's way. "You're not." Albedo replies, his voice just as snappy. "Oh, yeah, that's why you put it on such a difficult place to reach." Ben says, glaring. "Who were you talking to just now?" Albedo asks, and it took Ben a moment to realize that Albedo must have heard him and Paradox talking.

"It's none of your business…unless you'll get rid of the tracker." Ben says while trying to hold back a smirk. Albedo seems to consider this a moment before walking over and then around Ben, apparently deciding it was worth it. "Are you satisfied?" Albedo asks, holding up the tracking device when he came back around to stand a few feet away from Ben. "I was speaking with Paradox." Ben answers, smiling slightly as he wondered if Albedo even knew who he was.

"Oh, the Time Walker was here?" Albedo asks now as he puts a hand under his chin in thought. "You know Paradox?" Ben asks in shock. "That's not important now; what did he tell you?" Albedo asks in return. Ben knew the deal was that he'd tell Albedo who he was talking to, not what he was talking about with that person, but Ben had a feeling that Albedo would understand what Paradox told Ben more then he would. Then again, what if Albedo uses this knowledge to try to make the second path happen instead…. Maybe he shouldn't. "That there might be rain today." Ben says, smiling as he shrugged. "Don't play stupid, Tennyson, even if you are good at it."

"He said something about two paths to take…one will lead to a better future and the other has a lot of destruction, but I might be able to defeat one of my enemies; at the same time he might defeat me... See, none of it makes since." Ben concludes as a thoughtful expression comes across Albedo's face. "So your enemy will survive in the first path, but it will be a better future? Hmm…" With Albedo pondering that, Ben considered attacking him.

He would be able to get the zapper's control and whatever other controls, and then he'd make a run for it; turn into Big Chill—or Jet-Ray, and he'd be gone. Ben did think twice about the idea as he launched forward and grabbed at the device around his look-alike's wrist. It took a moment to get the device, and now Albedo was trying to get it back, hitting and punching Ben. Ben wrestled his way out of Albedo's grasp, and then hit the Ultimatrix. He was quite pleased when he transformed into Big Chill, then he flew upward and out of the reach of Albedo.

"Get back here, Tennyson." Albedo says threateningly. "What will happen if I don't?" Big Chill asks. "I'll…if I have this ship up and running then I won't go looking for you; you'll be stranded here…forever." Albedo speaks while crossing his arms. "Oh, I'm so scared." With that said, Big Chill flies upward and past the trees. Of course he wouldn't go too far. While he knew Albedo would want to find Ben first to take him to the 'Castle in the Sky', he still wanted to be nearby in case some Plumber or someone finds Albedo's crashed ship.

He watched as Albedo turned slowly, seeming to think about something, and then he walks back to the crash site. Well, Ben sure hoped someone would come soon, because though he had always assumed that sitting on the very top branches of a tree would be fun, he was terribly mistaken; it was actually quite annoy. Ben stifled a yelp of surprise when he spotted a spider on a branch nearby. "Perfect…" He mumbled, and then he heard thunder as if on cue. He knew shouldn't ask…but: could things get any worse?

**Might go to another side next….**


End file.
